University of Westminster

University of Westminster
Coat of arms
Motto	Et facta est lux
Motto in English	And so there was light
Established	c. 1062
Type	Royal research university
Endowment	ƒ32.8 billion
Chancellor	The Lord Emerson of Haversham
Vice-Chancellor	Dame Jane Soubry
Academic staff	8,791
Admin. staff	4,929
Students	30,311
Undergraduates	10,941
Postgraduates	19,370
Location	Westminster, Kiribati, Kiribati-Tarawa
Campus	Urban
Colours	Cardinal red

The University of Westminster is a collegiate royal research university in Westminster, Kiribati. The exact date of the university's foundation is unknown, but teaching has taken place at Westminster since at least 1062, making it the oldest university in Kiribati and among the oldest in the world. The history, academic performance, and research of the University of Westminster has made it the most prestigious in Kiribati and one of the most renowned in the world.

As a collegiate university, Westminster is comprised of 45 semi-autonomous constituent colleges. Each college is a self-governing institution, with full control over admissions, curriculum, instruction, research, and facilities, while the University coordinates research cooperation, sets examinations, and awards degrees.

History

The earliest known document that references a university in Westminster is dated to 1102, but teaching in Westminster active teaching has taken place in Westminster since at least 1062. The first college of the University of Westminster, All Saints College, was founded in 1175 by the Archbishop of Westminster, Walter de Brogny.

Location and buildings

The University of Westminster is located on the outskirts of Greater Westminster. The area surrounding it is colloquially known as the Latin Quarter, a name derived from the fact that all university instruction and study was conducted in Latin until the 1500s. Due to its large size and population of both students and faculty, the University of Westminster is its own borough of Greater Westminster; it elects its own Member of Parliament and is not under the jurisdiction of a town council, other than national laws and the Greater Westminster Assembly. The Academic Senate - a body comprised of senior faculty and student representatives has jurisdiction over the entire borough.

Organisation

Colleges

The University is comprised of 45 constituent colleges; to be enrolled in the University, a student must be a member of one of them. Most colleges take both undergraduate and graduate students, but some take only undergraduate or graduate students. A few colleges are "special interest" colleges and have special criteria for admission, such as Imperial College, which only accepts students from Kiribati's present and former colonial dependencies, and Templar College, which requires applicants to have one year of military service for admission.

The colleges are: